Routledge Handbook of Climate Change and Society

Introduction and Overview

Steven R. Brechin and Seungyun Lee

Part I: Climate Change in the Natural and Social Sciences

1. History of Climate Science and Its Politics

Spencer Weart

2. Climate Change: From Science to Solutions

Donald J. Wuebbles

3. Climate Change and Air Quality: Role of Atmospheric Aerosols and Challenges to Society

Joseph Ching

4. Advances in Research on Anthropogenic Drivers of Climate Change

Andrew Jorgenson, Hassan El Tinay, Jared Fitzgerald, Jennifer Givens, Taekyeoung Goh, Xiaorui Huang, Orla Kelly, Annika Rieger, and Ryan Thombs

5. The Need for Coupled Models of Human-Natural Systems to Study Climate Adaptation and Mitigation

Sathya Gopalakrishnan, Khyati Malik, and Kunxin Zhu

Part II: Human Population, Movement, and Health

6. Population and Climate Change: Global Overview

Joel E. Cohen

7. Human Impacts on the Climate Prior to the Industrial Revolution

Alexander Koch, Simon Lewis, Chris Brierley, and Mark Maslin

8. Climate Change, Adaptation, and Migration

Roman Hoffmann

9. Climate Change, Mental Health, and Eco-Anxiety

Caroline Hickman

10. Children’s Health and Well-being in a Changing Climate

Brian C. Thiede

Part III: Economics, Energy, and Consumption

11. Climate Change Economics: A Humbling Retrospective

Richard B. Norgaard

12. Anthropocentrism and Climate Change: Radical Reorientation Away From Greenwashing and Toward Degrowth in Business Education

Helen Kopnina, Ryan Wong, Kate Black, and Miloš Đurović

13. Super Polluters

Don Grant, Wesley Longhofer, and Andrew Jorgenson

14. High-Carbon Lifestyles

Magnus Boström

15. Household Decision-Making in the Climate Crisis

Holly Caggiano and Sara Constantino

Part IV: Urban Climate Resiliency

16. Deep Residential Building Efficiency as a Climate and Resilience Strategy

Emily Grubert

17. Babcock Ranch—Shelter From the Storm

David A. Cifrino and Luis J. Perez

18. Overcoming Barriers for “Strong” Sustainable Consumption Policy: The Case of the Amsterdam Doughnut

Irene Maldini

Part V: Technological Innovations and Pitfalls

19. Technology and Climate Change: Social Barriers to Progress in the US

Allan Mazur

20. Climate Engineering: Worth the Risks?

Amanda Sie

21. The Climate Change Crisis and the Limits of Technological Solutions

Amanda Sikirica and Richard York

Part VI: Gender, Poverty, and Justice

22. The Importance of Addressing Masculinity and Climate Change: Toward a Masculinist Denial Framework

Angeline Letourneau and Debra Davidson

23. The Role of Women in Environmental Activism: Considerations on North-South Relations in the Context of Climate Change

Lígia Amoroso Galbiati and Leila da Costa Ferreira

24. Climate Change and Poverty

Robin Leichenko and Julie A. Silva

25. Exploring Indigenous Climate Justice in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Climate Adaptation Planning

Meg Parsons and Roa Crease

Part VII: Politics and Governance

26. How Important Are International Climate Negotiations?

Raymond Clémençon

27. Challenges of Climate Security Research and Practice in the Context of the Anthropocene

Judith Nora Hardt

28. Climate Change and Public Relations Firms

Melissa Aronczyk and Maria I. Espinoza

29. Green Amendments for The Generations—Making Environmental Rights an Enforceable Reality

Maya K. van Rossum

30. Mitigating Climate Change Through Societal Corporatism: The Historical Record in Costa Rica

Thomas K. Rudel and Julia A. Flagg

31. Future Governance Under Climate Change: Authoritarianism or Democracy?

Steven R. Brechin and Seungyun Lee

Commentaries on “Future Governance Under Climate Change: Authoritarianism or Democracy?”

Dana R. Fisher and Fernando Tormos-Aponte

Closing Words

Solarpunk: Radical Optimism as Praxis

W. Kees Schuller

Biography

Steven R. Brechin is Professor of Sociology and Research Affiliate at Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute at Rutgers University, USA. His research explores the sociology of climate change, including collective and cross-national action against climate change, geoengineering controversies, climate finance, and sustainable lifestyles. He is the author of Planting Trees in the Developing Word: A Sociology of International Organizations (1997) and co-editor of Resident Peoples and National Parks: Social Dilemmas and Strategies in International Conservation (1991), Population-Environment Dynamics: Ideas & Observations (1993), and Contested Nature: Promoting International Biodiversity with Social Justice in the Twenty-First Century (2003).

Seungyun Lee is a PhD student in Sociology at Rutgers University, USA. Her main areas of research are climate change emotions and sustainable lifestyles. Her master’s thesis examines how national climate policy affects individual experiences of climate anxiety. Another current project of hers investigates how and why people embrace a slow, sustainable lifestyle in a small community in Northern Michigan, and the role of privilege, networks, and geography in creating this community.

“The vast literature on climate change and society is rich with important insights for both understanding and action. Brechin and Lee’s excellent Handbook provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the state of the science. It is a critical resource for both researchers and policymakers.”

Thomas Dietz, University Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science and Policy, Michigan State University, USA

“Climate change is, and will remain for at least a decade, the most pressing challenge facing our societies. This completely revised second edition offers profound insights and understanding from a wide variety of perspectives, disciplines, and geographies. It is essential reading for students, scholars, and professionals.”

Arthur P. J. Mol, Professor of Environmental Governance, Wageningen University & Research, Netherlands

“The timely second edition stands out for its compelling calls for holistic approaches to addressing the climate crisis. Contributions from distinguished scholars explore both enduring and emerging issues, including eco-anxiety and the fragile state of democracy. With equity and justice at its core, it is a valuable resource for understanding and addressing the social dimensions of climate change.”

Karen O’Brien, Professor of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Norway

“This Handbook is an essential, interdisciplinary volume exploring the relationship between climate change and human society. It identifies critical issues and discusses pathways to address them, offering hope and actionable insights. An invaluable resource for scholars, policymakers, and anyone committed to solving the societal dimensions of the climate crisis.”

Sun-Jin Yun, Professor of Environmental Studies and Dean of Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Seoul National University, South Korea